Starting mechanism for explosive-engines.



H. MEREDITH-JONES. STARTNG MEGHANISM FOR. EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLIOATIQN FILED MAR. 11, 1912 1,087965 Patented Feb. 24, 1914. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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LW E5 n ign/'l ATTUR/VEY H. MEREDITH-JONES.

STARTING MEGHANISM FON ExPLosIvB ENGINES..

APPLICATION FILED MAB., l1. 1912.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

2 BHEBTB-BHEBT 2.

WITNESSES:

/NVENTUH za l Aofmfv @TATES HUBERT MEREDITH-J'ONES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB T) COLUMBIA. NUT AND BOLT COMPANY INCURPORATED, OF BR-IDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, fr CORPR-AEON OF NEW YGRK.

STARTING MECHANISM FORy EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

To all fui/0m it muy con/ccm Bc it known that l, HUBERT li/lnnnnrrrrdomus, a subject ot the King o1 Great Britain, residing at New York city, county of New York, State of New York, have invented an improvement in Starting Mechanism tor Explosive-Engines, oit which the following is a specification.

Vlfhis invention has 'for its object to pro vide simple and inexpensive mechanism adapted tor general use wherever it may be required to transform horizontal reciprocating into rotary motion and especially adapted as a starting device for explosive engines, as upon motor vehicles and aeroplanes, an important feature of the inven tion being that the rotating member is never out ot engz'lgement with the reciprocating member 'trom which it receives motion, thus preventing backward movement ot the rotating member and the shaft.

lilith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain construetions and in certain part-s, improven'ients and combinations, which will be hereinafter described and then specifically pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

ln the accompanying drawings forming a part ot this specilication, in which like characters ot reference indicate the same parts, Figure 1 an elevation, part-ly in section, illustrating one form ot my novel niechanism; Fig'. 2, a horizontal section of the casing on the line indicated by 2 in F ig. 1, looking in the direction oit the arrow, the operating parts being in plan; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction oithe arrows; Fig. Ll, a view corresponding with Fig. 1 illustrating a variant form ot the mechanism; Fig. 5, an end elevation partly in vertical section, as seen from the right in Fig. 11; and llig. G is a diagrammatic view illustrating the feature of the continuous engagement ot the rotary member with a reciprocating member trom which it receives motion.

10 denotes a easing, 11 a trame adapted to reciprocate in ways 15 in the casing, 12 an engine sha'tt and 13 a ratchet wheel rigidly secured thereto and lying within the trame. Reciprocatory movement is imparted to the trame in any ordinary or preferred manner as by means of a starting lever, not shown,

Speceaton of Letters Patent.

Application led March 11, 1912.

Patented it ch., ililet.

Serial No. 682,879.

at the seat oi" a motor car or aeroplane. l have simply shown a link 1a onnected to the trame by a universal joint as a means oi' impart-ing movement thereto. '.llhe ratchet wheel. is engaged on opposite sides by racks 16, each oit' which carries a plurality ot pins 25 two in the present instance) which are rigidly secured therein transversely and project on opposite sides thereot. l

17 denotes slides lying, on opposite sides of the racks, in ways 13 in tlie-irame. ln the forni illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the pins pass through slots 19 in the slides, each slot comprising a central oblique portion and a longitudinal portion an each end thereof, and engage vertical slots 2O in the frame.

21 denotes stops placed at opposite ends of the casing in position to becngaged by the slides just betore the traine reaches the end o1' its movement in either direction. ln Fig. 1 the stops shown are blocks carried by screws 22 in the ends of the casing, the blocks being pivoted at the ends or' the screws which are locked in place ai'ter adjustment by set nuts 23.

2-lsee Figs. iland 5, indicates releasing '"fmecl'ianism intermediate the ratchet wheel and the shaft, which will not be described in this s] ecitication, as it comi rises an independent invention which is fully described and claimed in my pending appli-cation, Serial Number (332.880 1iled litarch 1l., 1912.

The operation of the present invention is as follows: lVhen recijviroeatory movement is imparted to the trame, rotary movement at once transmitted to the ratchet wheel and shaft for the reason that one o12 the racks is always engaged therewith. ln the position shown in Fig. 1, Athe traine has reached the extreme of its movement toward the leitt. During the movement toward the lett, the lower rack was in engagement with the ratchet wheel and Vthe pins were at the upper ends of slots 20 in the traine and in the right horizontal portions o1 the slots 19 in the slides. Just before the 'traine reached the end ot its movement towa .'d the lett the lett ends of the slides engaged the left stops on the easing, the ei'lect oi which was, as the movement of the trame continued, to move the lower rack out ot engagement with the ratchet wheel and the upper rack into engagement therewith, as in Fig. 1. 1n the position shown, the movement of the frame toward the right is about to commence. Near the end of the movement toward the right the right ends of the slides will engage the right stops in the casing. rThe continued movement of the frame and racks will cause pins :25 to pass from the lower longitudinal portions of the slots 19 and along the oblique portions of said slots into the upper hori- Yontal voi-tions, said pins simultaneously rising in slots Q0 in the frame, the eect of which is to raise the rack simultaneously, the upper rack passing out of engagement with the ratchet wheel and the lower rack passing into engagement therewith.

it is a vitally importantI feature of the invention that the ratchet wheel is neverl out of engagement with a rack. So far as the present invention is concerned, therefore, there can be no backward movement of the shaft and ratchet wheel from compression in the engine cylinder and everything gained by reciprocation of the frame, as in starting an explosive engine, is retained through engagement of one of the racks with the ratchet wheel. Accelerated motion of the shaft, as when it is picked up by the engine, and backward rotation of the shaft as in case of back-fire, are provided for by suitable releasing mechanism 24 as previously referred to.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view only and is provided to illustrate the operation of the racks in connection with the ratchet wheel. For the purposes of this specification a rack and the ratchet wheel will be considered to be in engagement when the point of a rack tooth is wit-hin the outside diameter of thei ratchet wheel. The outside diameter is indi` cated by the dotted line 2G. The ratchet wheel teeth and rack teeth are of course subject to infinite variation as regards shape and size. It is simply required that they be so laid out relatively to each other that the point. of a tooth of one rack will pass within the outside diameter of the ratchet wheel before the contiguous tooth of the other rack passes outside of the outside diameter of the ratchet wheel. The diagrammatic view shows a tooth of one rack in full engagement with a ratchet wheel. ltl will be noted that the length of contact between the rack tooth and the ratchet wheel tooth is greater than the distance between the outside diameter and the point of a tooth of the other rack; consequently the point of a tooth of the lower rack must pass within the outside diameter of the ratchet wheel before the engaged tooth of the upper rack can pass outside said outside diameter. The possibility of end to end engagement of rack teeth and ratchet wheel teeth may be prevented by giving to the ratchet wheel an uneven number of teeth, as indicated in Fig. 6, 0r by setting one rack a half tooth ahead of the other rack or by adjustment of the stops to cause one rack to commence its shifting movement at the end of a reciprocation of the frame slight-ly be.- fore the other rack.

n the variant form illustrated in Figs. t and 5, the same result is accomplished by mechanism that diifers only in details of construction. rthe frame is provided with slots 2T which correspond with the slots 19 in the slides in the other form; that is, they comprise a central oblique portion and a longitudinal portion at each end thereof. rlie rack 28 is made U-shaped and its opposite sides lie in Contact with the frame and the pins are rigidly secured in the rack, as before. But one slide 29 is used which is made T-shaped, the upper portion engaging ways 30 in the frame and the lower portion lying between the sides of the Usshaped rack. The pins pass through vertical slots 3l in the slide, which correspond with the vertical slots 2O in the frame in the other form, and engage slots 27 in the frame. As there is but one slide, central stop screws 22 are provided, the stop blocks being omitted. rihe operation is precisely the same as the other form. As the frame approaches either eX- treme of its movement the slides engage the stop screws and the continued movement of the frame causes one raclr to be raised into engagement with the ratchet wheel and the other rack out of engagement therewith as before.

Having thus described my invention, I cla-im:

l. Mechanism of the character described comprising a ratchet wheel, a reciprocating frame inclosing the ratchet wheel, racks carried by the frame and adapted to engage opposite sides of the ratchet wheel, slides intermediate the racks and the frame, stops adapted to be engaged by the slides and pin and slot connections between the racks, the slides and the frame for causing the racks to alternately engage and disengage the ratchet wheel, the parts being so constructed and arranged that engagement of a rack with the ratchet wheel takes place before disengagement of the other rack and backward movement of the ratchet wheel is prevented.

2. Mechanism of the character described comprising a ratchet wheel, a reciprocating frame inelosing the ratchet wheel, racks carried by the frame and engaging opposite sides of the ratchet wheel, slides also carried by the frame, pin and slot connections between the racks, the slides and the frame, and stops which are engaged by the slides before the frame reaches either extreme of its movement, continued movement of the frame acting through the slides to move a rack into engagement with the ratchet wheel and an instant later to move the other rack out of engagement therewith.

3. lvlechanisin of the character described comprising a casing7 a frame reciprocating therein7 a ratchet wheel inelosed by the casing, racks carried by the :traine and engaging opposite sides of the ratchet wheehslides also arried by the frame and stops upon the casing whereby the sli des are caused to nieve the racks alternately into and out of engageinent With the ratchet wheel.

et. Mechanism of the character described comprising a ratchet Wheel, a recipii'ocating traine inclesing the ratchet wheel, racks car ried by the traine and engaging opposite sides et the ratchet wheel, transverse pins irejectingl :treni the racks, slides also carried by the traine and steps adapted to be engaged by the slides, said frame and slid-es eing provided with slots which are engaged by the pins to ineve the racks into and out of operative relation with the ratchet wheel. lilechanisni of the character described comprising a ratchet wheel, a reciprocating fra-nie inclosing the ratchet Wheel and provided with vertical slots, slides reciprocating in the traine and provided With slots having oblique central and longitudinal end portions, racks lying between the slides, pins carried by the racks and engaging the slots in the traine and slides, and stops adapted to be engaged by the slides whereby the racks are nioved into and out oi' operative relation with the ratchet Wheel.

(5. ln combination, a rotatable ratchet Wheel, a reciprocating frame inclosing the ratchet wheel, independently movable racks carried by the frame and adapted to engage opposite sides of the ratchet Wheel7 slides also carried by the frame, stops adapted te be engaged by the slides and connections whereby the slides are caused to place the racks alternately in engagement With the ratchet Wheel, substantially as described, for the purpose speeiiied.

ln testimony Whereei I aflix iny signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HUBERT MEREDlTH-JONES.

lWitnesses S. Vif. A'rHEn'roN, M. L. HAGGEMAN.

it'oplea of tinta )patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing 'che Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, TD. C. 

